Around the release of Kuberaa, a social media post went viral. It referred to National Award-winning filmmaker Sekhar Kammula as ‘a guy from nowhere’ who came to deliver a superb film for Dhanush. Even though this ‘guy from nowhere’ was in his 25th year as a filmmaker and has made path-breaking films in Telugu, including Dollar Dreams, Anand, Godavari, Leader, Happy Days, and Fidaa, Kuberaa was new ground. “It felt really good. This guy is getting to know me just now, and I am sure he would understand me through my films. The next time, he might actually go to watch the film made by the Kuberaa director,” says Sekhar, in an interaction after the release of the Tamil-Telugu bilingual, which is facing oscillating fortunes at the box office. While the Telugu version has set the cash registers ringing, the same can’t be said about the Tamil version.
A candid Sekhar admits that the returns from the Tamil Nadu market have not been upto their expectations at all. “I'm hoping it picks up. We were in complete awe of the transformation of Dhanush as Deva in the film. I thought Tamil audience would embrace the film with wider arms,” says Sekhar, who believes the Tamil box-office prospects were hampered due to miscommunication. “There is a perception that Kuberaa is a dubbed film. I hope that myth breaks. We shot the film twice, and thankfully, with Dhanush, Nagarjuna, Rashmika, Bhagyaraj, and Azhagam Perumal, I had actors who could pull off these scenes in both Tamil and Telugu. It was time-consuming, but all these actors were keen to deliver. Even in Tamil, although the numbers might be low, the responses have been promising.”
It is not often that Sekhar feels pressurised or even disturbed about the box-office numbers for his films, especially since his directorial ventures have mostly been critically and commercially acclaimed. However, the filmmaker points out that even now it isn’t the case of a disturbance or a pressure but a simple wish to have more people see the world he has created with his talented team. “I have always been someone who puts art first, but it is not right to forget the commerce aspect of it. I’d say 70-30 or 60-40 in favour of art. But cinema is an art form that involves money, time, and resources,” says Sekhar, adding, “In Telugu, I have made true-to-life films which were also commercial blockbusters. My distinct voice always rang out, and I balanced both. The same happened in Kuberaa too. Just that, in Tamil, I wished more people saw it. You don’t get such a story often in our films, and Dhanush’s performance has been so striking that I just wish a wider audience would see the film.”
The pan-Indian phenomenon is both a strength and a burden for filmmakers as they are liberated by the scale, but suffocated by limitations. Sekhar, however, reveals that the only reason Kuberaa was made bilingual is because the story demanded it. While this might seem a rather hollow statement if it had come from anyone else, Sekhar, as always, has very clear reasons as to why he chose this path. “Unlike other films of mine, this film can be placed anywhere. It isn't rooted in just Telugu sensibilities. Rich vs poor is a normal template, and the story has strong class differences that are common across the globe. So, it wasn’t a pre-conceived agenda, but an organic progression of things,” says Sekhar, who agrees that the inclusion of Dhanush in the film also made the bilingual decision a no-brainer.
While the commercial returns of Kuberaa has been the major talking point, there is a strong consensus that the film features one of the finest performances from Dhanush. It also has a distinct character arc for the other stars, Nagarjuna and Rashmika. However, all of them seem to be playing just characters in a Sekhar Kammula film instead of being an extension of their superstar personality. “I always finish the story and reach out for actors. Nothing was changed or altered to suit Dhanush or Nag or even Rashmika, who is called the Crush of India or something. She doesn’t come across that way in Kuberaa. All of them surrendered to the script,” says Sekhar. When asked if he ever wanted to change the narrative style of Kuberaa, which had all the elements of a true-blue commercial potboiler, the ace filmmaker completely rejected the notion. “There are a lot of places where I could have shown the underdog retaliating and taking matters into his own hands. But I stayed true to the story of the beggar. It could have easily been a commercial potboiler or a thriller. But I wanted the film to have an emotional depth to enhance empathy towards the marginalised. That is why we had backstories for every beggar character. These beggars don’t come from nowhere, right?”
Elaborating on the conflicting mindsets of his principal characters, Sekhar adds, “You see, Nag has a conflict. He is all about good vs bad, and how convenience and comfort could take precedence in our lives. What if you compromise for your family? This conflict is constant in the middle-class mentality. On the other end, you have a selfish, money-minded capitalist. And in between both, we have a beggar who just wants to live his life, one day at a time.”
This empathy towards the characters in his films is a Sekhar Kammula trademark, right from Dollar Dreams to Kuberaa. As someone who strongly believes money is not his only driving factor, the filmmaker deeply understands that he is liked by a lot of people who like his perspective on the world. “I want them to see that world. I observe a lot, and I do believe that I am rooted and connected to society. I am very aware of what’s happening around me,” says Sekhar, who also admits that he has a fear of becoming redundant, and he reinvents himself by working with a team that challenges his thoughts and ideas. “You have to keep reinventing at all times. We discuss aggressively, and I allow them to oppose my thoughts,” says Sekhar, signing off with what he thinks empathy is all about. “It is the highest form of knowledge, and Kuberaa is a film that shows what that knowledge can do to our society, and this world.”